There is a number that every brand founder, CPG operator, and roadshow vendor needs to bookmark right now: $6.5 billion. That is the total capital investment Costco Wholesale has committed to its fiscal year 2026 expansion strategy — a sprawling, ambitious deployment of resources earmarked specifically for new warehouse construction, depot network expansion, existing warehouse remodels, and digital infrastructure upgrades. Paired with plans to open approximately 28 new wareho

Stop what you are doing and read this number carefully: $90 billion. That is how much Kirkland Signature — Costco's private label brand — generated in total sales in 2025 alone, according to a report delivered at Costco's 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Let that land for a moment. A single store brand, sold exclusively through one retail chain, produced $90 billion in revenue in a single year. That represents a staggering $15 billion increase over Kirkland Signature's 20

Costco roadshows look simple from the outside. A table. A product. A few samples. Four days in a warehouse. But anyone who has actually done one knows the truth: Costco roadshows are a high-performance environment. You are stepping onto one of the most competitive retail stages in the world. Members move quickly. Buyers are watching. Sales numbers are immediate. And execution has to be flawless. Over the past two decades, I’ve had a front-row seat to thousands of roadshows ac

There is no audience in all of retail quite like a Costco member. Not Amazon Prime subscribers. Not Walmart+ members. Not loyalty program cardholders at any grocery chain in the country. The Costco member is a fundamentally different kind of shopper — more committed, more engaged, more purchase-ready, and more valuable to the brands that earn their attention than any other consumer segment in retail today. And in 2026, Costco member loyalty is not just holding strong — it is

Let's start with a number that should stop every brand owner in their tracks: $90 billion. That is how much Kirkland Signature — Costco's private label brand — generated in sales in 2025 alone. According to a report given at Costco's 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Kirkland Signature brand brought in about $90 billion in sales in 2025 — more than a $15 billion increase compared to Kirkland Signature sales in 2024. Julee Ho Media Let that sink in. A single private lab

When a retailer posts nearly $70 billion in revenue in a single quarter — during a period of economic uncertainty, rising tariffs, and shifting consumer behavior — the rest of the retail world takes notice. And every brand owner who has been sitting on the fence about pursuing the Costco channel should be sitting up straight right now. Costco's Q2 2026 sales results are not just impressive. They are a signal. A loud, unmistakable signal that this channel is not slowing down,

If you have been waiting for the right moment to get serious about the Costco channel, that moment is right now. And we mean that literally — because Costco just announced one of its most aggressive retail expansion plans in company history, and the window of opportunity it creates for brands ready to move is enormous. Costco is planning a total of 35 new locations in fiscal year 2026, which ends in August 2026 — up from 24 net-new warehouse stores the previous fiscal year. P

You built a great product. You convinced yourself — rightly — that it belongs in Costco. You got the meeting, you got the shot, and then somewhere between the pitch and the floor, things fell apart. Or maybe you haven't gotten there yet, but you're watching other brands stumble and wondering: what are they missing? Here's the uncomfortable truth about why brands fail at Costco : it almost never comes down to the product itself. The product is usually fine. What fails is every

Let's be real — getting into Costco is not a stroke of luck. It's not about having the flashiest packaging or the most followers on Instagram. It's about strategy. Preparation. And knowing exactly what one of the world's most demanding retailers expects from the brands it puts in front of its 130 million members. The brands that crack the Costco code don't do it by accident. They do it with Costco consulting — expert guidance from people who have been inside this channel lon

Costco Roadshow Management: How to Prepare Your Brand and Actually Win You've done the work. You've built a product worth selling. You've got the brand identity, the packaging, the story. Now you're staring down one of the biggest opportunities in all of retail — and you're wondering: how do I not blow this? Here's the truth: most brands walk into their first Costco Roadshow underprepared. Not because they don't care, not because the product isn't good enough — but because no